The Arizona sentinel., 1887-07-30
CONVENIENT HOMES.
Good and Airy Closets the Most Impor- tant Convenience About . House.


 its convenience. Convenience is of all
 things what is desired in house of
 any size. Without it the housekeep- ing is uphill work, even for the most energetic of housewives. For woman
 who does her own housework large
 house is great care even with all the
 modern conveniences, but without them, to take care of such house is the most discouraging kind of work
 any one can do. A large, roomy
 house, well furnished. may be very pleasant for visitors to contemplate,
 or enjoy able to the rest of the family,
 but if it is not convenient, all its pretty furnishings and roominess goes for nothing to the housewife, who kept continually at work to keep it Tn order, can have no time to enjoy its luxuri- ance of space. Unless there is large family, the working housekeeper much prefers small house, and if it has not every convenience it is not as difficult to keep in order as a large one, and certainly to most peo- pie is cosier and more homelike. There is always so much 10 be done in a large house, that the housewife can seldom conscientiously feel that she is really all through, no matter how hard she may work. There are usually some rooms in such house that are seldom used, yet they must be looked after just the same in some respects, at certain times, as the other rooms. Dust will fly about and windows will want washing though the rooms be used but once month. If the housewife has girl to help her, or two or three, ac- cording to the size of the house, it makes very little difference to her how large it may be, for the work may be done with very little worry or hard labor on her part, but if, on the con- trary, she has to do all the homework alone, she does not want a large house to worry over, and the smaller the house, as long as it is in proportion to her family, the better
 A house, either large or small, can never be convenient if it has not plenty of closet room, for the greater part of the convenience of any house consists in having an abundance of closets. Closets are never in the way unless they are dark ones, and the fewer of these kinds in a house the better for the general health of the family and the cleanliness of the house. They are difficult places to keep sweet and clean, for no matter how hard you may try you can not prevent them from be- ing musty and close. They have no ventilation whatever but the door, and as they are usually used for storage, they get little air from that opening. They are always located in some out Of-the-way corner, under a stairway very often. where it is next to impossi- ble to get into them to give them a thorough cleaning, and are very tempting receptacles when per son is in hurry into which to throw articles of very little use. Old boots and shoes are fond of resting in these places, and all women know that there is nothing will collect mould or give the place such a com- plete air of mustiness as these articles, kept in a close closet away from any ventilation. A woman that has a closet of this kind in her house ought to be very particular about seeing that it is properly and frequently cleaned and ventilated as much and as well as possible. She should be careful about leaving any thing damp in such place. as it will be sure to mildew.
 Cio thes closets should be in every chamber, a good-sized china closet in the dining-room, and in the kitchen a large pantry with a widow, if possible. Ventilate the clothes closets, if they have not windows. by leaving the doors open when airing the rooms, and there will be little danger of moths taking up their abode in them. In the pantry should be a of small closets used for various purposes, but one should al- ways be set aside as medicine or closet. In this should be kept all the many remedies that are in demand in case of accidents in the 1 family. Each package, box and bottle should be marked with the proper name of contents. and if a poison | marked "poison'' in plain letters. There should be a shelf for internal | and external remedies, on the latter also a bundle of lint and one for | poison, which to prevent mistakes, often occurring when a person is in . hurry, should always be at the top. If | here are children in the family a | closet such as this should never be left unlocked, for all women know little children are very curious to find 'ut how any thing tastes, and n their ignorance are very apt to taste the very thing hat is the most hurtful to them. A small closet in the mothers chamber S an excellent thing to have, where the simpler medicines, often wanted dur ng the night, should be kept for use, and will save the mother great many steps, and frequently a heavy cold.
 There are great many things leeded to make house convenient, put none are of as much importance IS good closet room. The housewife nay get along quite we'll without some ,f the modern conveniences, but she an never do so without good closets. No matter how many things may be